Parking at Silver Line stations limited, but available

WASHINGTON – There’s more available parking around Metro’s new Silver Line stations than riders might think.

Only the new Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station has an accompanying parking garage at what’s, for now, the end of the Silver Line.

But, by special arrangement with Fairfax County, the McLean station on Route 123 has a privately-run, 711-space surface parking lot near by. Colonial Parking will operate the lot.

“And we’re still accepting expressions of interest from different property owners in Tysons,” says Kris Morely-Nikfar, a transportation planner with the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.

“We have another location that will be going to the board of supervisors for their approval at their September 9th meeting,” Morely-Nikfar says. Because the board has yet to see the proposal, Morely-Nikfar wouldn’t provide the specific address for the proposed site.

But he says the private parking garage would provide 100 parking spaces within a half mile of the Tysons Corner Metro station.

Parking garages were deliberately excluded from the four Tysons Metro stations because of long term plans to transform Tysons into a walkable community. Until that happens however, “It just make sense to utilize some of the underutilized parking that is there today,” Morely-Nikfar says.

Riders parking at the Colonial lot will have to use a credit card or a reloadable card to pay to park. No cash will be accepted at the lot. Colonial parking will charge $5.50 per weekday or $5 prepaid. Riders will pay $2 on weekends or $90 for a full month of parking.